An Giang police smash two smuggling rings

Border guards in An Giang province have thwarted two smuggling rings. Forces seized a total of 2,000 packs of cigarettes and 1.5 tonnes of sugar from Cambodia.

Vinh Nguon border guards noticed suspicious activity from people carrying goods from Cambodia to Vietnam on January 14.

Upon being asked to stop by the police the suspects immediately ran to the Cambodian border area, leaving all their smuggled goods behind.

Police officers seized 2,000 smuggled cigarette packs.

A further investigation is currently taking place.

A day earlier, Long Binh border forces, who were working in collaboration with Khanh Binh Border Gate Customs, were able to confiscate 1.5 tonnes of sugar from a smuggling ring as they moved from Cambodia to Vietnam on January 13.

Initially the police spotted a suspicious wooden boat carrying a huge number of white bags and travelling from Cambodia to Vietnam at a high speed. 

After docking on the Binh Di River, all the suspects fled the scene upon noticing the police.

Police officers kept the items including the boat and 30 packs of sugar (50 kg per pack).

The case is still under investigation.

Missing crew member rescued as barge capsizes at sea

A missing crew member was rescued at sea on January 14. The man was in a capsized barge that had been carrying bricks and was left at sea for nearly two days in the waters off of the Ong Doi cape in Phu Quoc island in the southern province of Kien Giang.

missing crew member rescued as barge capsizes at sea hinh 0 The crew member has been identified as Phan Ngoc Hau, 35, residing in Duong Dong town on Phu Quoc island.

Vu Duc Tien, deputy head commander of the High Command of Naval Zone 5, said after nearly two days of rescue workers searching, rescue forces finally found the missing crew member alive after being in the capsized barge at sea for nearly two days.

The crew member was discovered inside the barge and was immediately taken to Phu Quoc Polyclinic for emergency treatment. Mr Hau is in a stable condition. 

Previously on the morning of January 13, a barge carrying bricks from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc capsized in waters roughly one nautical mile away from the Ong Doi cape in Phu Quoc island. There were three crew members onboard at the time. Two of the crew members, named as Phan Van Quang, 60, and Nguyen Duy Kha, 18 were able to swim to shore.

Poor people to receive chung cake ahead of Tet

A programme to make chung cake (square, glutinous rice cake) for disadvantaged communities will take place at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism from January 24-26, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) on January 14.

The annual event is designed to support disadvantaged people and Agent Orange/dioxin victims in the central Quang Tri province and Hanoi, as well as ethnic minority communities in the poorer communes of Thai Nguyen province in the north, on the occasion of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

About 700 gift sets containing chung cakes, rice, confectionery, and clothes will be presented to poor people.

Additionally, artisans from Uoc Le traditional craft village in Hanoi’s Thanh Oai district will join in the event and teach participants how to make the cake. 

A Neu pole (a tall bamboo tree with red garment strips) was also recently erected at the village. The Neu pole is believed to ward off ghosts and demons from entering the community during Tet. It also directs ancestors seeking the path home for the Lunar New Year holiday. The custom is also practised in some other Asian countries besides Vietnam. 

Previously, the MCST announced that various cultural and art activities are set to be held at the village throughout January.

The events are designed to introduce festivals and customs at the beginning of the year, as well as the traditional activities of various ethnic groups during Tet. They will feature nearly 100 members of 14 ethnic groups at the village. 

HCM City: Quality health care services offered for LGBT community

Quality health care services at the public Binh Dan Hospital in HCM City’s District 3 is now being offered to people in the LGBT community. 

Dr Nguyen Ho Vinh Phuoc of the hospital said: “They can receive services in a private space with respect from the hospital’s health staff.”

Nguyen Tan Thu, a doctor specialising in serving LGBT people, said the service at a public hospital was especially important because patients had often complained about discriminatory attitudes at public hospital facilities. 

Thu said that many of them had avoided health care or sought illegal services. Some of them were seeking medical or surgical treatments to transition physically to their self-affirmed gender. 

Many of the patients are at high risk of contracting HIV and sexually transmitted diseases and need services in these areas, as well as psychological health care, according to the doctor. 

The number of transgender people who are clinically depressed or want to commit suicide, or abuse alcohol or stimulants, is very high in Vietnam.

“Like everyone, they want to visit hospitals for health exams and treatment. However, because of widespread discrimination, there is a lack of understanding among healthcare staff,” Thu said. 

A transgender woman called To Mi from HCM City said many LGBT people did not know where to seek information about transition surgery. 

“I am asked where I had surgery, but I don’t dare introduce them” because the place may not be suitable, she said. 

A transgender man from HCM City said that he had a bilateral mastectomy in Thailand, which cost much more than in Vietnam. However, illegal surgery in certain places in Vietnam is not considered safe.    

“I have to fly to Thailand every six months after my surgery. It’s costly,” he said. 

Mi said that she and other transgender people want better access to health care services after their transition.   

Dr Phuoc said that, to meet the high demand of LGBT individuals, the hospital provides counselling about sexual and reproductive health for them and their relatives.     

The hospital also provides screening, prevention and treatment for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as general counselling.

They are also provide counselling about hormone therapy before, during and after transition, and receive treatment for complications after transgender surgery, he said.  

Binh Dan Hospital is one of several health facilities in the city providing health care services for LGBT people. 

According to the NGO Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives, Vietnam is estimated to have nearly 300.000 to 500.000 transgender people, although no official figures exist.

The Ministry of Health is completing information for the National Assembly for a draft law that would protect the legal status and rights of transgender people, including those who have had sex reassignment surgery and those who have not had the surgery. 

The law would create more favourable conditions for LGBT patients at health care facilities in the country.

Vietnam’s brocade products need to be promoted, positioned: PM

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recommended the Ministry of Information and Communications and media agencies build a strategy to promote Vietnamese brocade products to locals and foreign consumers.

The Government leader made the recommendation at the opening ceremony of the first Vietnam brocade culture festival in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on January 14.

In his speech, PM Phuc told agencies, particularly the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), to integrate Vietnamese brocade culture into the tourism development strategy.

“Let each brocade tell an interesting historical and cultural story, which reflects the hopes and atheistic values that make up the cultural diversities of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic communities,” he said.

PM Phuc said he wants to offer made-in-Vietnam brocade products as gifts to foreign dignitaries during his overseas working trips. 

He requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the MCST and the fashion and garment-textile industries to make brocade a material for high-end fashion.

The Government will study mechanisms to preserve traditional brocade values, the PM stated.

He called for startup spirit among Vietnamese, particularly youths, to tap brocade business potential and urged efforts to bring the culture closer to tourists, as well as to fashion designers and shows in Vietnam and overseas.

Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh said the festival aims to honour the remarkable culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups, celebrate the province’s 15th founding anniversary and promote local tourism. 

Lasting until January 16, the event attractsmore than 2,000 professional and amateur craftsmen and artists from 17 Vietnamese provinces and cities as well as foreign delegations from Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Highlights of the festival include an exhibition of Vietnamese brocade cultural spaces, brocade weaving sessions, the restoration of aspects of traditional ethnic minority festivals and art performances. A conference on brocade culture, a carnival and a brocade fashion show are also scheduled to take place.

PM presents Tet gifts to disadvantaged ethnic minority people

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits locals in Nui village, Tam Thang commune, Cu Jut district of Dak Nong 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented 100 Tet gifts to policy beneficiaries and disadvantaged ethnic minority people in Nui village, Tam Thang commune, Cu Jut district during his working visit to the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on January 15.

He extended Tet greetings from Party and State leaders to the locals and affirmed the Party and State have always paid attention to helping poor people enjoy a cosy Tet.

The PM asked Dak Nong authorities at all levels to do more for every family in the locality to have a happy and safe Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Apart from 100 Tet gifts, the PM presented a TV set to the village.

Nui village is home to 295 households with 1,549 people, mainly from the Ede ethnic minority group.

Golf tournament opens up friendship with Russia

Golfing fans of Russia have gathered for the Kremlin Cup 2019 in Hà Nội.

The annual competition has been organised for seven years gathering Russian people living in Việt Nam and Vietnamese people who love Russia.

The tournament began on Saturday at the Sky Lake Resort & Golf course gathering 180 golfers including many celebrities such as actor Bình Minh, ex-footballer Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, models Thúy Hằng and Thúy Hạnh, director Khải Anh and musician Minh Khang.

Former footballer Sơn said the tournament was a chance for players to learn more about Russian culture.

First prize went to Nguyễn Quốc Mến, while Nguyễn Huy Hùng Việt and Phạm Minh Chi won the Longest Drive challenge for men and women. 

Deputy PM calls for strict management of food

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam has instructed functional agencies to promote the management of food during Tết. 

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam has called for increased management of food, especially imported food products, as the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday approaches.

The Deputy PM asked ministries, central agencies and local authorities to strengthen the inspection and examination of suppliers to ensure they observe food safety laws.

He asked agencies and authorities to focus on supervising food safety during the Tết holiday and spring festivals after Tết, with attention paid to preventing food poisoning, especially with alcohol.

The units continued to implement measures on controlling the use of plant protection medicine, chemicals and antibiotics in food production and processing, as well as measures to protect the environment, especially in rural areas.

The management of slaughter-houses, fresh food stalls and waste treatment measures to ensure environmental hygiene should be promoted.

The Deputy PM assigned the Ministry of Health to assume the main responsibility and coordinate with related ministries, agencies and provincial people’s committees in developing the Prime Minister’s directive.

The ministries of health, agriculture and rural development, industry and commerce, are coordinating and going to complete the food safety information system, which will create effective tools for community-based management and supervision, supporting food production enterprises.

City and provincial people’s committees will strengthen the capacity of functional agencies, ensure facilities, funding, and human resources for food safety management in the province.

According to the Ministry of Health, as of November 30, 2018, the country recorded 97 food poisoning cases, with nearly 2,950 hospitalised victims and 16 deaths. 

Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu farmers breed Pacific oysters

Many farmers in the southern province of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu are breeding Pacific oysters since they have a high survival rate and steady demand in the market.

Nguyễn Văn Mãnh, who has bred them since 2015 in Long Sơn Commune in Vũng Tàu city and now has 100 cages of them, said he harvests 2.5 - 3 tonnes a month and sells them at VNĐ25,000 – 50,000 (US$1.1 -2.2) a kilogramme to earn nearly VNĐ100 million ($4,300).

Demand for the oysters is steady, he said.

To breed them, farmers have to buy oyster spat, which are already attached to materials such as old shells. Pacific oysters offer stable yields compared to indigenous varieties.

Farmers who breed the latter only buy settlement materials and let the oyster seeds in the wild attach to them, meaning the harvest depends on nature.

Pacific oysters can be harvested after for five to six months while indigenous oysters take 12-16 months.    

Nguyễn Công Biên of Long Sơn Commune said he buys Pacific oyster seed from Vũng Tàu City’s Ward 12 and Khánh Hòa Province for cultivation.

The cost of buying the seeds which are already attached to materials like old shells cost more than VNĐ110 million ($4,740) for his 19 cages.

But farmers only need to make floating cages after that and do not need to buy food since the oysters eat natural food.

They are highly resistant to diseases and are little affected by polluted water.

“Pacific oysters are preferred by many farmers and highly valued for their quality,” Biên said.

Long Sơn has around 40 households breeding the crustaceans on a total area of 26ha.

Lê Xuân Tú, chairman of the Long Sơn People’s Committee, said local farmers breed the oysters since they are sure of their origin.

Farming the oyster involves high initial investment but their survival rate is high and the technique is environment-friendly, he said.

In Long Điền District’s Phước Tỉnh Commune, some 70 households breed the oysters on more than 30ha near the Cửa Lấp and Thị Vải rivers.

They buy most of the oyster seeds from Khánh Hòa Province since the supply in Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu cannot meet their demand.

Nguyễn Hữu Thi, head of the province Fisheries Sub-department’s aquaculture management division, said the sub-department encourages aquaculture farmers to breed Pacific oysters because of the huge potential.

Farming it is environment-friendly compared to indigenous oysters and improves farmers’ incomes, he said.

The province’s output is mostly consumed in the southern region. 

Programme honours value of Vietnam’s brocade cultures

Brocade making contest at the programme 

A brocade culture space programme opened in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on January 14 as part of the first Vietnam brocade culture festival.

The three-day programme attracts the participation of nearly 500 professional and amateur artists from 18 Vietnamese provinces and cities and Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Along with trying to embroidering and weaving brocade by themselves, visitors are offered a chance to taste traditional cuisine of Vietnamese ethnic groups, watch art performances, and experience several traditional rituals of ethnic minority groups.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Minh Quang said that the event aims to honour the value of the brocade culture space, and offers a chance to tighten mutual understanding and tighten the great unity among Vietnamese people and with foreign friends.

The first Vietnam brocade culture festival is taking place in the Central Highlands locality from January 14-16. 

The festival honours the remarkable cultures of Vietnamese ethnic groups and encourages ethnic people to preserve their traditional brocade craftsmanship. It is also expected to create a venue for local artisans to exchange experience and shape the sustainable handicraft in society.

Major events held in the framework of the festival include the exhibition of Vietnamese brocade cultural spaces, brocade weaving practice sessions, restoration of several aspects of traditional ethnic minority festivals, and art performances. A conference on brocade culture, a street festival, and a brocade fashion show are also scheduled to take place.

More efforts continued to find 10 missing fishermen in Ba Ria-Vung Tau

Relatives of the missing fishermen share information about the boat

An urgent meeting has been held on Monday between the Steering Board for Flood and Storm Control and Search & Rescue of the two provinces of Khanh Hoa and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to discuss intensified efforts to find the sunken ship with 10 fishermen which has gone missing since December 29. 

A representative from the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development told the meeting that the location of the sunken ship has not been found yet.

"Rescue efforts have been intensified over the past two days to find the boat," the department said.

On January 11, a fishing boat reported that it discovered the sunken KH 90208 TS with only its prow seen above the water. The site was about 160 nautical miles to the southeast of O Cap cape, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, but no one was seen around the area.

According to the family of the owner of the KH 90208 TS, the fishing boat with 10 crew members left Hon Ro port in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province, on December 27, 2018, and they last contacted the boat on December 29, 2018.

Immediately after receiving the report, the Office of the Central Committee for Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue, and the Border Guard’s Staff have instructed their relevant forces to work to verify the report. Fishing vessels operating near the location have also received instructions to look for the missing seamen.

The Navy and the Coast Guard have also ordered their ships operating in the waters to watch out for victims.

Trade Union reforms operation as CPTPP takes effect

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has asked its affiliates to reform workers welfare operations now that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has begun to take effect.

Trade unions are proving to be a reliable support for workers during Vietnam’s international integration. 

Trade unions have worked with employers on wage, benefits, and labor regulations, and held dialogues on reconciling the interests of the State, employers, and workers. They have helped the government shape policies to ensure workers’ rights and living conditions.

Trade unions have advised members how to initiate legal actions against companies for delaying workers’ insurance payment and have collaborated with Vietnam Social Insurance to organize fact-finding tours.

Le Dinh Quang, Deputy Director of the Labor Relations Department of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, said, “We are working on a project to hire 20 trade union lawyers. But there are difficulties. 

According to the Law on Lawyers, public servants are not allowed to work as lawyers and most grassroots trade union employees are public servants. Trade unions are responsible for creating an environment where lawyers can focus on labor laws for the benefits of trade unions, not for profit.”

Vietnam’s trade unions at all levels have signed 400 cooperative agreements with businesses to provide goods and services to members at discounts of 5 to 20%. Last year 1.5 million union members saved US$21 million through these incentives.

A highlight of trade union activities is taking care of workers during the Lunar New Year festival (Tet).

Nguyen Thi Nhu Y, President of the Confederation of Labor of Dong Nai province, where a large number of factories are located, said: trade unions oversee wages and benefits and seek to improve workers’ lives. 

She noted, “We arrange free transportation for workers who have not returned home for Tet for several years.  Trade unions have organized family reunions for disadvantaged workers who can’t return home for Tet. We make sure that workers benefit from our policies.”

Vietnam’s CPTPP membership poses a challenge to trade unions because workers are permitted to join labor organizations other than the Vietnamese trade unions. This forces the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to reform its operations to be more attractive to members.

Bui Van Cuong, President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, said, “Trade unions should be a true representative of workers and a protector of their rights. 

Reforms should be made to bring more benefits to union members, ensure industrial safety and hygiene, and deal with relations between employers and employees. By doing so, workers will find that Vietnamese trade unions are beneficial to them and will want to be members.”

Soc Trang’s island commune recognized as new-style rural area

An Thanh Tay island commune in Cu Lao Dung district of the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang has been recognized as a new-style rural area, becoming the third commune of the district receiving the title.

According to Chairman of the communal People’s Committee Le Thi Hong Loan, An Thanh Tay locates in the Hau River with difficult socio-economic situation.

In order to complete all criteria of the new-style rural area building programme, the Party Committee, government and locals of the commune have promoted their strengths and mobilized resources for the programme.

The commune has lured 165 billion VND for the programme, including 14.5 billion VND contributed by locals.

Locals have donated land, construction materials and working days to build transport works and infrastructure system, she said.

Loan noted that since 2010 when the commune started the programme, An Thanh Tay had a poverty ratio of over 28 percent. Locals mostly lived on growing sugar canes with backward technology.

Today, the commune’s roads have been concretised. More than 98 percent of local households have accessed power service, and over 99 percent of them have enjoyed clean water.

Particularly, the ratio of people having stable jobs reaching over 90 percent, with per capita income of more than 41 million VND per year, thus reducing the ratio of poverty to 3.5 percent.

With the recognition of An Thanh Tay as a new-style rural area, Soc Trang has so far had 32 out of total 80 communes receiving the title, many of them are home to Khmer people.

Soc Trang aims to have two districts and over 50 percent of communes completing the programme in 2020.

Quang Ngai locals exert efforts to make Bai Choi singing thrive again

Born in 1954, Quang Ngai-based artisan Trinh Cong Son is the founder and director of the Centre for Preservation and Development of Quang Ngai’s Bai Choi Folk Singing. He has actively coordinated with agencies and Bai Choi performers in the province to safeguard and uphold the value of Bai Choi singing in the community, particularly among younger generations.

Son established the Centre for Preservation and Development of Quang Ngai’s Bai Choi Folk Singing in 2013, with its headquarter located in his own house. The centre now has 20 coordinators who are working in different professions, as teachers, soldiers and traders. None of them, including the director, receive salary but they simply join the centre for their common passion for Bai Choi, a popular folklore style of singing in central Vietnam.

One of the most active members of the centre is Major Le Anh Quoc from the Minh Long district’s Military Command. Quoc first registered for joining Son’s training course on Bai Choi singing in 2011 and was approved by his commanders. He then became an enthusiastic member of the class and was sent to perform at amateur arts contests in the province as well as competitions held among Military Zone 5’s armed forces.

In addition to developing his passion for singing Bai Choi melodies, Quoc has also composed scripts and adapted them into Bai Choi stage. Several his plays and songs have won prizes at armed forces’ amateur folk singing contests.

Quoc’s artistic talent has been further promoted since 2016 when the Quang Ngai provincial High Command established the Armed Forces’ Club for Lullabies and Folk Singing. Joining as a performer, singer, script writer and stage director for the club’s performances, Quoc’s love for Bai Choi has fuelled other club’s members. Resultantly, more than half of the club’s members have become active coordinators of the Centre for Preservation and Development of Quang Ngai’s Bai Choi Folk Singing.

Although army life is very busy, we try to arrange our time and schedule to not miss any performance held by the club and the centre, during which we can serve the people with Bai Choi singing, Quoc said.

Bai Choi singing was recognised by the UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December of last year, however, the art form has not yet drawn much interest from the audiences.

Therefore, the Centre for Preservation and Development of Quang Ngai’s Bai Choi Folk Singing has focused its operation on popularising the art form among the locals through short programmes, which last from 15 to 30 minutes each, at schools, hospitals, and other public spaces.

The centre-hosted programmes deliver a range of popular content, including new rural development, traffic safety, and President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, morals and style.

Recently, the centre won the special prize at the Professional Theatrical Arts, Bai Choi Folk Singing and Opera 2018, held in Quang Ngai last October, for their play ‘Nui Rung Nam Ay’, which praised the Vietnamese people and army’s resistance war against the US towards national salvation.

Director of Quang Ngai provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Minh Tri said that Son’s centre has provided a lot of support for the department in organising key cultural events, particularly those on Bai Choi singing.

According to Dang Ngoc Dung, Vice Chairman of Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee, the local authorities have always appreciated and encouraged the participation of private arts units and clubs in preserving the locality’s culture.

With proper care from sectors and the enthusiastic passion from Bai Choi performers and practitioners in Quang Ngai, it is believed that the art form will reach a broader range of audience, deserving of the UNESCO honour as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.